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Imagine you're a schoolchild in Colorado in the late 1890s. Someone asks you a simple question: If Colorado could be represented by one flower, which flower would you choose? The answer might surprise you. The decision wasn't made by politicians or botanists. It was made by the children. And the flower they chose still represents Colorado today. The blue columbine. Delicate, colorful, and often found high in the Rocky Mountains, the columbine has become one of the most recognizable symbols of Colorado's wild beauty.
This short video shares how Colorado schoolchildren helped choose the state's flower and why the columbine became a symbol of Colorado.
Blue Columbine
Blue Columbine
Aquilegia caerulea
The Blue Columbine grows throughout Colorado's mountains and alpine meadows, often blooming during the short summer season.
A few things that make it special:
Native to the Rocky Mountain region
Blooms in summer at higher elevations
Known for its blue, white, petals and yellow stamens
Often found in mountain meadows and along hiking trails
The flowers seem to float above the foliage, swaying gently in the mountain breeze.
It's one of those flowers that feels perfectly at home in Colorado's high country.
Why It Became the State Flower
In 1899, Colorado was looking for an official state flower.
Rather than leaving the decision to lawmakers alone, schoolchildren across the state were invited to vote.
The Blue Columbine won.
Many people believed it represented Colorado perfectly. Its blue and white petals reflected the state's colors, and its ability to thrive in the mountains connected it to Colorado's rugged landscape.
On April 4, 1899, the columbine officially became Colorado's state flower.
Over the years, the flower became so beloved that laws were later passed to protect it from being picked in large quantities from the wild.
Today, it remains one of Colorado's most treasured native wildflowers.
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